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Feng Zikai exhibitions offer insight into painter's life

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Song Feijun (facing front), a grandson of late Chinese painter Feng Zikai, gives a guided tour to children visiting the ongoing exhibition of Feng's works at the National Art Museum of China through Nov 4.[Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

He went to Japan in 1921 to study oil painting, but soon realized it was impossible for him to achieve perfection in skill and he couldn't afford the expensive art form. Then, he found a collection of works by the self-taught Japanese artist, Yumeji Takehisa, at a street stall. He was inspired by Takehisa's approach, which was less demanding on technique while emphasizing poetry and underlying social concerns.

Some of Feng's critics accused him of "copying" Takehisa, says Wang.

"So, we put together some of their works with similar composition at one of the two shows in Hong Kong," she adds.

Wang says one could see how Feng was inspired by Takehisa, but also formed his own style, grounded in Chinese cultural elements accumulated since childhood.

Feng's paintings emit the beauty of Tang Dynasty (618-907) poetry.